Best Bread ever...

Sometimes, the favorite part of going out to eat is the pre-meal freebie. At a Mexican restaurants, it's chips (El Coyote serves warm salsa; Los Toros serves bean dip). At most non-Mexican restaurants, they serve bread.

Here are some great breads, some of which are free when you're seated, some are not (denoted with a $).

pizza dough balls:
Miceli's: as good as their pizza!

garlic cheese balls:
Zach's in Studio City: delicious little garlic cheese knots.
C & O in Venice: worth the wait.

garlic cheese bread:
Smoke House($) in Burbank: the best garlic cheese bread in the city, hands down.
Clearman's North Woods Inn($): delicious (and you can make it at home, if you want!).

biscuits:
Knott's Berry Farm Chicken Dinner Restaurant($): it's not just for tourists.
Quality($) on 3rd Street: the best biscuit I've ever eaten!

bread sticks:
Pat & Oscar's($) in Atwater Village (on Los Feliz in the Costco/Best Buy Shopping Center). With a website like there's (breadstick.com), you know the bread sticks must be good.

regular breads:
Beyond the old mainstays in Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen, there are a few spots that have notable bread:
Trader Vic's in Beverly Hills (an assortment served with a great peanut spread)
Morton's: great with a Mortini.
Engine Company 28: served upright.
The Original Pantry: I've given tips on how to order this free bread before.

I guess the Beach Boys had it right about L.A.: "I'm making real good bread!"